This invention relates to a locking mechanism for expandable rooms that are moveable between extended and retracted positions. The invention relates particularly to a locking mechanism for positively locking and holding the structure in place when the room is retracted.
Recreational vehicles, both self-propelled and towed, are obviously limited in size, especially width since they must move over the road and comply with federal and state regulations regarding size. Since these vehicles are used for temporary and sometimes longer term habitation, there have been designed rooms or portions of rooms that can be moved from a retracted to an extended position in order to provide additional living accommodations. Typically, once the vehicle is parked and secured, a room or one portion of a room is extended outwardly, usually to the side, to provide the additional desired space. When the vehicle is driven, the room is retracted so that it nests within the vehicle commonly with the outer wall of the expanded room in alignment with the outer wall of the vehicle from which it was extended.
Because these expandable rooms extend generally from the bottom to the top of the side wall of the vehicle, they necessarily disrupt the structural integrity of the side wall. Then, when the vehicle is moved over the road, vibrations and forces created during motion can further disrupt the structural integrity producing undesirable effects. Also, when the room is fully retracted, it must be completely sealed from water, dirt and other foreign matter and that seal must be maintained while the vehicle is moving over the road. Therefore, a positive locking mechanism to secure the room in a fully retracted position must provide both shear and tensile and compressive strength. In addition, because the room can be slightly out of alignment when it is moved from the extended to the retracted position, the locking mechanism must also function to properly align the room so that when it is locked in the fully retracted position, the structural integrity and seal will be fully maintained. There is therefore a need for an improved locking mechanism for expandable room structures which will meet the foregoing requirements.